Virat Kohli discloses what he told AB de Villiers before match vs KKR

Virat Kohli discloses what he told AB de Villiers: Royal Challengers Bangalore captain opened up on his dialogue with the senior batsman.

After beating Kolkata Knight Riders by 10 runs at Kolkata, Royal Challengers Bangalore have registered their second IPL 2019 victory. While the way ahead for them is still daunting, RCB can’t be immediately ruled out of contention in for qualifying for the playoffs.

Speaking during the post-match presentation ceremony, Kohli sounded relieved after winning the nerve-wrenching match. “Felt really good, after what happened last year. Was important to have a win under our belt,” Kohli was quoted as saying.

“There’s no point in panicking”

On the back of Nitish Rana and Andre Russell’s 118-run partnership for the fifth wicket, Knight Riders looked in likeliness of doing the near-impossible. Having said that, the 214-run target ended up proving to be too much for the hosts.

“There’s no point in panicking in these types of situations, you got to leave it to the bowlers to decide what he wants to do. Few good decisions by [Marcus] Stoinis and then Moeen [Ali] in the end. I think the way Stoinis bowled those two-three dot balls, it was very crucial. They both showed composure and that’s what you expect from our teams mates,” Kohli was heard as hailing his overseas all-rounders who bowled the last two overs.

“Our communication was to get to 170-175”

Other than appreciating the English all-rounder’s composure with the ball, Kohli also spoke highly about his game-changing innings. Admitting that he and Ali hadn’t thought of scoring a 200+ total, Kohli eulogized about the manner in which the southpaw batted.

“Our communication during second time-out was to get 170-175, we didn’t think we could get 200-plus. It was difficult to put away the length balls away. Moeen changed the game completely and that allowed me to play my game.

“Moeen said I am going to go now and I asked him to go for it. He targeted the small boundaries and changed the game in those few overs. It was important to bat along when AB is not here, as a senior player. AB was disappointed for not making it for the game tonight and I told him that I’ll give him a hug if we win tonight,” Kohli said.

Kohli speaks highly about Russell

With Russell scoring 65 (25) with the help of two fours and nine sixes, Kohli couldn’t resist himself from praising the KKR all-rounder. The RCB skipper also hailed the presence of veteran fast bowler Dale Steyn, who played his first match for Royal Challengers tonight.

“In the end death overs are going to be difficult with this kind of ground, where the ground is lightning quick. Credit to Russell for setting up those kind of games.

“Having Dale [Steyn] with his kind of experience, gave bowlers like [Nitin] Saini that kind of confidence. Steyn getting those crucial overs was important for us. I think picking wickets in the Powerplay is crucial as it sets the tone for the rest of the innings,” Kohli concluded.